Watch: Fury from Barcelona after controversial penalty call is turned down | OneFootball

Barcelona slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Inter in the first of their Champions League double-header against the Italians, seriously damaging their prospects of qualifying from the group.

The main talking point, as much as Barcelona’s poor performance, was the handball controversy which occurred in the second half.

Initially, Pedri had the ball in the net during the second half, but it was eventually disallowed for handball. As Andre Onana palmed the ball out, it brushes Ansu Fati’s hand on its way to Pedri.

There was uproar after the match, as Denzel Dumfries seemingly got away without conceding a penalty for a very similar incident where the ball brushes his hand.

Speaking to Marca after the match, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez did not hold back.

“I am pissed off about the situation. I am indignant. We do not understand anything. If there is a hand from Ansu and another scores, it is a goal, and they disallow it. And the other cannot be understood. It is an injustice, the referees should speak and explain themselves because we don’t understand anything.”

“I said it yesterday. We feel like it was a great injustice. It is the referee who should come out and speak. And he goes off and nothing happens. We don’t understand it.”

Defender Sergi Roberto put forward a similar view to Marca after the match.

“They took a goal off us in an identical play [to Dumfries handball]. They whistle a handball on us and later the same play they don’t call. That is why I’m frustrated and for not managing the victory.”

“Every year they change it. Neither the players nor they themselves know what they call, I don’t understand it.”

Barcelona will have to shake off their sense of injustice swiftly as the matches come thick and fast. On Sunday they face Celta Vigo and then welcome Inter to Camp Nou for what is now a decisive fixture for their Champions League qualification, before facing Real Madrid the next weekend.